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Eric “Erych” Sarblah and “Tree Tops”

I’ve never met Eric “Eryck” Sarblah. I only have “Tree Tops” to use as any frame of reference. Eryck entered the Hub Edge Realty Autumn 2016 Stoughton Photo Contest and “Tree Tops” was his entry.

Eryck, that’s what I’ll call him, died in a terrible automobile disaster yesterday. His name, when I read the list of victims today, rang a bell. I was sad when I matched his name as an entrant of a Stoughton Photo Contest.

“Tree Tops” didn’t make the list of winners or honorable mentions simply because it was taken on June 16th, 2016 at 2:19 PM which was, unfortunately, not taken within the autumn of 2016. Eryck, in the comments of his photo submission form, noted that the photo was taken in the woods near Sparrow Road. Maybe these trees are familiar to some Stoughton residents?

Autumn 2016 Stoughton Photo Contest | Tree Tops

I’d like to take a moment to critique “Tree Tops”… The photo shows fantastic composition. Eryck decided to look up and that’s something many amateur and professional photographers alike often forget to do. You can gain an entirely different perspective of the world when you decide to look up. The leading lines provided by the evergreen trees lead the eye to the tree tops and, maybe, even further to the sky above. The sky, as you may see, is blown out. That may be due to the limitations of Eryck’s camera or maybe his limited knowledge of photography but, maybe, the effect was created with purpose? The blown out sky is reminiscent of the presupposed heavens above. Maybe, as many people might argue, there’s a god or gods in that sky above? Who knows? It’s a striking photo from that perspective.

The Stoughton High School community was very supportive of the Stoughton Photo Contest and I want to extend my condolences to that intertwined community. Jesse Stansfield, the Visual Art Teacher – Digital Photography, was even one of the judges of the Autumn 2016 Stoughton Photo Contest and he did a wonderful job at the judging dinner. Maybe Hub Edge Realty will host the Stoughton Photo Contest again in the future?

On a personal note, my heart goes out to Eric “Eryck” Sarblah and his entire family as well as the victims and families of the other victims. Eryck’s father, and the fathers of the other boys who died yesterday, and I now belong to an exclusive club we never wanted to join. We have all lost young sons. I lost my two-month-old son to a SIDS related event in April, 2017. I grieve for my son every day and I’m sure the other fathers will do the same for the rest of their lives.

I’d be glad to talk to any of the parents who have lost their children if any of them would like to talk…